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Wednesday, 13 May 2015

Al-Shabaab Psychological Operations : Exhausting the Will of the Kenyan Citizenry. Part 4 - Political Dynamics in Kenya Abetting Islamist Terrorism

This is the final installment of a four-part series analyzing
al-Shabaab psychological operations (PSYOPs) in Kenya, and how political
process in Kenya aids al-Shabaab to achieve some of its strategic objectives.

Infamous al-Shabaab attacks in
Kenya accompanied by equally infamous and bungled government counter-terrorism
operations (including attempts to end hostage-sieges) have enkindled popular
discontent against the Jubilee government (the Kenyan government is dominated
by members of the Jubilee Coalition) as well as lend credence to the
opposition’s (dominated by CORD [Coalition of Reform and Democracy]) mantra
that KDF (Kenya Defence Forces) should be withdrawn from the Somalia (the
Cradle and Home base of al-Shabaab).

KDF Withdrawal from
Somalia. But Why?

The main opposition coalition in
Kenya, CORD, has repeatedly and steadfastly called for the withdrawal of KDF from
Somalia and the subsequent deployment of KDF in the frontier counties as well
as along the Kenya-Somalia border; because al-Shabaab Kenyan affiliates are now
posing a credible national security threat and the government is logically
mandated to prioritize on imminent threats to national security before tackling
secondary threats emanating from external sources. That is, the Kenyan
government must identify, locate, combat and destroy domestic terror networks
prior to stabilizing, strengthening and defending Somalia from al-Shabaab.

Al-Shabaab Using
Politics to Guide Kenya’s National Security Process.

Nonetheless, the logic promoted
by CORD and allied opposition parties do indirectly serve al-Shabaab as they
provide the Wahabbi jihadists with an opportunity to influence the political
process of Kenya and by extension, surreptitiously impacting the national
security process of Kenya. In Kenya, national security is intimately tied to
national politics - with its attendant disorder, factionalism, cronyism,
mediocrity, corruption, intrigues and tribalism – and this partially explains
the poor state of security in Kenya. Perceived thusly, it reasonably follows
that the Takfiri terrorists do indirectly and stealthily utilize the internal
political dynamics of Kenya to degrade the capacity of KDF to conduct military
operations in Somalia against al–Shabaab.

The political dynamics in Kenya
have enabled al-Shabaab to protract, disrupt and obscure critical
(security-oriented) decision-making process thereby surreptitiously undermine
the decisive command and control of Operation
Linda Nchi.

Government Indirectly
Aiding Al-Shabaab.

The Kenyan government has also indirectly
aided al-Shabaab through its conflation of terrorism with politics. During the
June 2014 Mpeketoni terror attacks, President Kenyatta absolved al-Shabaab of
the culpability, and instead blamed the attacks on “local political networks”
(a cloaked reference to opposition political parties). Al-Shabaab later took
credit for the attack, and even made fun of President Kenyatta in their
recently released video showcasing the Mpeketoni attack.

The government has also been
accused by European intelligence agencies of ignoring their intelligence – the
Kenyatta regime is particularly distrustful and apprehensive of European
(especially United Kingdom) intelligence agencies conducting operations in
Kenya. This has led to considerable intelligence gaps which are obviously advantageous
to the Islamists.

By conflating terrorism with
politics, and always perceiving terrorism through a political lens; the
government has wounded itself besides compromising its credibility among its
citizens who presently validly perceive the government as only interested in
political survival - with insecurity and terrorism being considered as
ancillary concerns.

Ultimate PSYOPs.

By combining terror attacks,
religious passions and psychological operations with stealth political
influences, al-Shabaab aims to weaken the resolve of Kenya’s will to combat
Islamism in Somalia - as well as furtively discouraging the government from
conducting potent counter-offensives. It does so by creating and ingraining
disaffection and dissension within the masses and also among the ranks of the
counter-terrorism troops.

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